Christmas is not only a time for reflection but, for many companies, the strongest sales period of the year. That is when it matters most to make yourself present with customers again, to present your most important offers, or to tempt them with a bargain. In German retail alone, around 100 billion euros were turned over in 2019 — a lucrative period, then, if you adapt your marketing a little.
Newsletter tips for the festive season
Special Christmas newsletters should of course not only be sent right at the holidays, and should not be planned at short notice. Whether you want to clear your warehouse with substantial discounts before the holidays, offer competitions, gamification and advent calendars, or have collected the best deals for the season — your company should be anchored in every customer’s memory.
The right timing
A Christmas campaign should have a fixed start, and for most companies that lies shortly before the start of advent. In Germany the transitions are fluid; for customers the Christmas period traditionally begins with the first Sunday of advent or on 1 December.
“To put your Christmas newsletter tips into practice, start early in suggesting potential gifts and offers to your customers.”
Discounts before Christmas
FOMO is one of the classic mechanisms of Black Friday. Fear of missing out, with expiring timers, is an important factor with which you can gently apply pressure to buying decisions, especially at Christmas. Customers can not only save money but secure the perfect gift at the same time.
Also make sure your newsletter informs not only about percentages but about expiring delivery deadlines. That way your customers always know exactly when they have to order to get the perfect present under the tree in time.
The advent calendar
It is not only your customers who should be able to give the perfect gift at Christmas. It is also the ideal opportunity for your company to give something back to customers.
An advent calendar is made for this, because it lets you tempt customers with prizes and send an individual reminder every day. If customers then want to take part, they are already on your website — where, conveniently, the latest offers are waiting next to the calendar.
“You can implement a campaign like this in your mailing software well in advance; discount codes and vouchers create an additional incentive to buy.”
The right tone
Whether at Christmas or across the year, a good newsletter reaches your customers not only in their inbox but emotionally. At the holidays in particular you have plenty of opportunity to appeal to your customers’ emotions and to awaken associations with Christmas greetings, the perfect gift, or Father Christmas.
Work as personally as possible, but make absolutely sure your newsletter is still perceived as serious.
General newsletter rules apply here: excessive use of capital letters, exclamation marks and buzzwords such as “competition” or “free” often means the spam suspicion strikes before your customer can even look at the newsletter.
Setting incentives
Quite a few customers get the urge to browse for themselves as well. So make full use of retargeting and look closely at where the digital gaze lingers.
Bundles also create important incentives in Christmas shopping, and many products have accessories that together make the perfect gift. Show your customers that with a functional bundle they are not simply making a straightforward present — the thought behind it takes centre stage.
You can go further to meet your customers with discount codes or free delivery above a certain order value. Your shop offers the best shopping experience anyway, so your customers should ideally find several gifts there. Your newsletter should highlight that too.
Guaranteed under the tree
According to a study, 83 per cent of all e-commerce customers welcome guaranteed delivery dates, especially at the holidays. If you want to profit properly from Christmas newsletter tips, you should highlight delivery dates. An actual countdown can be an important trigger here.
As long as your newsletter communicates when goods are guaranteed to reach the customer in time, and which presents will still arrive last minute, you are doing everything right.
Customer loyalty
Festive newsletter tips are of course not only about promotion but about the emotion of the season. Show your customers your gratitude, give them insights into your year and a look ahead to the next one. What can loyal customers expect, how do things continue, and what is your team up to at Christmas?
“At the holidays you may happily become a little more emotional and strengthen the bond with your customers further in the newsletter.”
Putting Christmas newsletter tips into practice
For digital retailers in particular the Christmas trade is booming, with the majority of Germans planning to spend a similar amount to previous years. Coupled with a stronger tendency towards online shopping, that is a good opportunity for online shops to close the year successfully.
A newsletter is only one part of a festive digital campaign: wrap your site in a temporary rebranding in Christmas colours and be suitably festive on social media.
With the right mix of charm and contemplation your Christmas newsletter will be a hit. In that spirit: happy holidays.
